Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers Receives Major Funding to Advance Pediatric Cancer Research

The Gilmer Mirror

Dec 03, 2013 | 1840 views | 0 | 11 | |

Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers Receives Major Funding to Advance Pediatric Cancer Research

Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers received $500,000 on December 3rd, 2013, to advance a groundbreaking pediatric cancer research initiative. The 6th Annual Silver Dollar at the Ranch Event benefitting Texas Motor Speedway's Speedway Children's Charities selected the non-profit Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers to support their innovative program to advance investigational cancer therapies to children. Nationwide, fewer research dollars have been devoted to pediatric and adolescent cancers, because cancer is most prevalent in the adult population.

"Mary Crowley's vision is to leverage our track record of successful research in adult cancer to benefit children with Ewing's Sarcoma [a common type of bone tumor in kids] and other types of childhood cancers," says Dr. John Nemunaitis, Executive Medical Director of Mary Crowley. The center has been conducting adult research for more than 20 years focused on targeted gene, cellular and immune therapies, in compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The proceeds from the Silver Dollar Event will be used to advance more treatment options for children and young adults with cancer, through ongoing clinical trials and preclinical research designed to accelerate promising discoveries.

The open clinical trial for Ewing's Sarcoma is testing an Immunotherapy, also called a cancer vaccine, which was previously tested in adults. This personalized vaccine is manufactured for each individual child incorporating the molecular data of their tumor, which in turn incorporates a unique design to re-educate the patient's immune system to recognize and fight their specific cancer. Mary Crowley initiated the program with a focus on Ewing's Sarcoma Family Tumors, because it is a common pediatric and adolescent bone cancer having a poor survival rate after failed standard chemotherapy.